CHILDREN'S   BOOK    rj» 

COLLECTION  $ 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ftttU 


tes 


HAPPY    HEAETS 


BY   JUKE    ISLE. 


CINCINNATI: 

PUBLISHED  BY  POE  &  HITCHCOCK. 

E.  P.  THOMPSON,  PBINTEB. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864. 

BY  POE  &  HITCHCOCK, 


ID  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  State 
for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.  WHOM  HAVE  WE  ALWAYS 9 

II.  FRITZ  DEAD,  YET  LIVES 29 

III.  How?  ANSWERED 41 

IV.  WHAT  THE  STARS  SAW 47 


HAPPY  HEARTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHOM   HAVE  WE  ALWAYS. 

R.  and  Mrs. 
. Payson 
(  had  three 
.little 
children, 
^j  who  were 

very  dear  to 
-,  , 

them,   and  whom 

they   amused    and  instructed   in 
many  pleasant  ways. 

One  Spring,  just  as  the  leaves 


10       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

were  bursting  open  and  the  birds 
were  filling  the  air  with  gay 
songs,  Mr.  Payson  told  the  chil- 
dren he  had  bought  a  home  for 
them  in  the  country. 

This  pleased  the  little  ones, 
and  they  talked  from  morning 
till  night  about  what  they  would 
do  in  their  new  home. 

In-  the  pretty  country  they 
watched  4he  birds  building  their 
nests,  and  saw  them  feeding  their 
young  and  teaching  them  to  fly; 
and  then  they  saw  them  in  great 
cawing,  twittering,  fluttering 
swarms  moving  off  to  warmer 
lands  when  the  yellow  Autumn 
leaves  began  to  fall. 


HAPPY  HEARTS.  11 

y 

But  when  the  Winter  winds 
sung  through  the  old  pine  trees, 
the  children  began  to  talk  about 
Christmas. 

"I  wonder  if  Santa  Glaus  will 
come  away  out  here,  with  his 
great  pack  of  toys,"  said  Eebecca 
one  -day.  "  I  am  afraid  he  will 
forget  us,  he  has  £p  many  chil- 
dren to  remembe'ff"  0 

"He  m$y  perhap*  forget  us," 
said  Joshua;  "for  cousin  Nelly 
•^ays  that  he,  one  time,  forgot  to 
put  any  thing  in  her  stocking, 
although  she  hung  it  where  he 
could  find  it." 

"But,"  said  Eebecca,  "Nelly 
said  it  was  a  very  stormy 


12       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

and  they  lived  on  a  hill,  and 
the  wind  blew  so  hard  they 
were  afraid  it  would  blow  the 
house  down.  And  I  think  Santa 
Glaus  was  afraid  the  wind  would 
upset  his  pack  of  toys  if  he  went 
up  on  aunt  Judd's  roof." 

"  I  .think,"  said  Joshua,  "we  had 
better  send  Santa  Glaus  a  letter, 
telling  him  that  we  have  moved 
from  town  out  into  this  pretty 
pine  grove,  then  he  will  know 
where  to  find  us." 

"That  will  be  a  good  way," 
said  Rebecca;  "for  I  remember 
when  Mrs.  White,  who  lives  in 
our  house  in  town,  was  here  last 
week,  she  told  mamma  that  many 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  13 

persons  had  called  there  since  we 
left,  and  asked  for  Mr.  Payson. 
Now,  if  the  people  do  not  know 
that  we  have  moved  away,  Santa 
Glaus  may  not;  so  he  may  go 
there  and  slide  down  the  chim-  • 
ney,  and,  without  asking  any 
thing  about  it,  put  all  the  nice 
things,  which  he  has  in  his  pack 
for  us,  in  Tommy  and  Jenny 
White's  stockings." 

"I  will  write  to  Santa  Glaus," 
said  Joshua,  "as  soon  as  I  can 
find  time." 

Joshua  said  this  in  rather  of 
a  large  way,  for  he  wished  to 
talk  like  a  man  of  business. 

"I  will  run  and  get  your  slate 


14       MAPLE  QEOVE  STORIES. 

now/1  said  Kebecca;  and  she  soon 
came  with  the  slate  and  pencil. 

They  all  sat  down  and  Joshua 
took  the  pencil  to  write;  but  he 
found  he  could  not  do  much,  as 
his  mamma  was  not  there  to  spell 
the  words  for  him. 

"Let  us  ask  papa  to  send 
word  to  Santa  Glaus/'  said  Ke- 
becca. 

"And  let  us  ask  Mrs.  White/' 
said  Newton,  "to  watch,  and, 
when  Santa  Glaus  comes  to  her" 
house,  tell  him  where  we  live." 

"But  Mrs.  White  might  watch 
all  night,  and  then  not  see  him/' 
said  Eebecca;  "for  I  think  Santa 
Glaus  never  makes  any  noise 


HAPPY  HEARTS.  15 

till  lie  is  just  going  out  of  sight; 
then  his  eight  tiny  reindeers 
jingle  their  bells  as  they  scam- 
per away  with  the  sleigh  full  of 
toys." 

Mrs.  Payson  came  into  the 
nursery,  and  the  children  told 
her  what  they  had  been  saying. 

"  Santa  Glaus  shall  be  told 
where  to  find  you/'  said  Mrs. 
Payson,  "and  you  will  have  a 
happy  Christmas  if  you  are 
happy  in  your  own  hearts.  You 
shall  have  a  Christmas  tree, 
and  we  will  invite  some  friends 
to  come  and  enjoy  its  fruits  with 
us.  But  I  wish  you  to  remem- 
ber, my  darlings,  if  you  have 


16       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

naughty  thoughts  you  can  not 
have  a  happy  Christmas." 

"But  if  some  naughty  thoughts 
come,  what  can  we  do?"  asked 
Eebecca. 

"Try  to  think  about  some- 
thing good  and  pleasant,"  said 
Mrs.  Payson,  "and  ask  God  to 
help  you.  Yesterday,  when  I 
heard  Joshua  telling  Newton, 
in  an  angry  way,  that  he 
hoped  Santa  Glaus  would  not 
bring  him  any  thing,  I  thought 
my  dear  boy's  thinker  was 
wrong." 

"I  know,  mamma,"  said  Josh- 
ua, "that  I  wish  to  be 


But,  if  God  lets  me  be  naughty, 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  17 

what  good  does  it  do  to  ask  him 
to  help  me?" 

"God  will  help  you  if  you 
ask  him  in  the  right  way,  and  if 
you  watch  yourselves,"  said  Mrs. 
Payson.  "If  we  wished  to  be 
happy  ourselves  we  must  do 
something  to  make  others  so; 
and  even  little  children  can  do 
much  good  if  they  try." 

"  When  we  are  trying  to  make 
others  happy,"  said  Joshua,  "we 
shall  have  good  thoughts." 

"A  little  verse  which  you  re- 
peat J*'  said  Mrs.  Payson,  "says 
truly  that 

'  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do.' 

2  9 


18       MAPLE   GROVE   STORIES. 

Now  I  wish  to  hear  what  you, 
my  children,  have  to  do  before 
Christmas." 

"We  must  get  our  gifts  ready 
for  the  tree,"  said  Eebecca. 

"And  we  must  learn  our  les- 
sons, every  day,"  said  Joshua. 

"And  I  must  learn  all  my  let- 
ters, so  papa  wil^  give  me  a  rock- 
ing-horse," said  little  Newton. 

"That  is  all  right,"  said  Mrs. 
Pay  son;  "but  have  you  not 
something  more  to  do?" 

"0,  yes!"  said  Joshua,  "we 
are  to  ride  to  town  and  invite 
our  visitors  to  come  and  have  a 
nice  time  with  us  in  the  holi- 
days." 


HAPPY   HEARTS.        .       19 

"But,  are  there  not  others 
whom  you  can  help  to  be  happy 
and  good?"  asked  Mrs.  Payson;. 
"those  whom  we  always  have 
with  us?" 

"I  do  n't  know,"  said  Joshua, 
"as  there  are  any  persons  that 
are  always  with  us.  Bridget  has 
been  here  onty  a .  few  months, 
and  she  says  she  must  go  away 
after  New- Year;  so  you  do  not 
mean  her.  And  John  will  leave 
next  Spring ;  so  you  can  not  mean 
him." 

"When  you  were  learning  your 
Sunday  school  lesson  a  few  weeks 
since,"  said  Mrs.  Payson,  "I 
heai  1  you  repeating  these  words 


20       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

of  Christ,  'Ye  have  the  poor 
with  you  always;  and  whenso- 
ever ye  will  ye  may  do  them 
good.'" 

"0,  yes,  mamma,  I  did  not 
think  of  that,"  said  Joshua. 
"But,  there  are  so  many  poor 
people,  how  can  we  do  them 
good?"  * 

"We  can  do  our  little,"  said 
Mrs.  Payson,  "and  if  we  only 
make  one  sad  heart  glad  we  have 
done  a  good  deed,  and  we  shall 
be  better  and  happier  ourselves 
while  we  are  helping  others." 

"  When  Mrs.  Blake  comes  here 
to  see  you,  mamma,"  said  Eebecca,^ 
"she  talks  about  poor  people,  and 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  21 

how  much  she  does  for  them. 
But  Mrs.  Blake  does  not  seem' 
to  be  happy;  and  she  says  there 
is  no  use  in  helping  the  poor, 
for  if  one  begins  there  is  no  end." 
"Mrs.  Blake,"  said  Mrs.  Pay- 
son,  "has  not  a  pleasant  way  of- 
talking;  but  I  think  she  enjoys 
doing  good  to  others  in  her  own 
cross  way.  Yet,  if  we  would  be 
happy  ourselves  in  making  others 
happy,  we  must  love  to  do  it. 
If  you  should  give  little  Harry 
Grant  a  pair  of  mittens  because 
I  told  you  to  do  so,  while  you 
were  fretting  because  you  wished 
to  keep  them  yourself,  you  would 
be  neither  better  nor  happier  for 


22       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

doing  it;  and  you  would  not 
speak  gently  and  kindly  to  the 
poor  little  fellow,  and  so  make  his 
face  and  your  own  bright  by 
pleasant  words.  Mrs.  Blake 
spends  much  time  and  money  in 
helping  poor  people;  but  she 
forgets  that  she  should 

(  Speak  gently,  kindly  to  the  poor.'  " 

"I  have  some  toys,  mamma," 
said  Eebecca,  "that  I  can  give 
to  Mrs.  Grant's  lame  Harry;  I 
am  stfre  they  will  make  his  little 
pale  face  smile." 

"And  I  should  like  to  give 
Willie  a  pair  of  shoes,"  said 
Joshua;  "for  his  are  very  rag- 
ged." 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  23 

"Shall  I  give  him  my  sled, 
mamma?"  asked  Newton. 

Now  Newton  thought  more  of 
his  sled  than  he  did  of  any  other 
plaything.  It  was  painted  green 
and  yellow,  and  had  a  bright 
colored  strap  which  he  called  the 
reins.  The  runners  were  very 
smooth,  and  he  expected  to  have 
a  gay  time  with  it  all  Winter. 
So,  when  Newton  asked  about 
giving  his  sled,  he  knew  he  was 
giving  what  he  liked  best. 

"No,  my  darling,"  said  Mrs. 
Payson;  "keep  your  sled.  But, 
we  will  see  what  we  all  can  do 
for  Mrs.  Grant  and  her  children, 
by-  the  time  Christmas  comes. 


24:       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

She  is  a  good  woman,,  and  we 
can  do  much  to  make  her  happy 
while  her  husband  is  gone  to  the 
war. 

"Then  there  is  Mrs.  Fisher, 
who  lives  near  town;  can  we 
do  something  for  her?"  asked 
Mrs.  Pay  son. 

"Mr.  Fisher  gets  drunk,"  said 
Joshua;  "and  Mrs.  Blake  says  it 
does  no  good  to  try  to  help  them, 
for  he  sells  things  that  are  given 
to  his  wife  to  buy  whisky." 

"But  shall  we  leave  poor  Mrs. 
Fisher  to  suffer?"  said  Mrs. 
Payson.  "Shall  we  try  to  do 
nothing  for  her  and  her  dear 
children?  They  are  often  cold 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  25 

for  want  of  clothes  and  a  fire. 
They  are  often  hungry,  because 
Mr.  Fisher  gets  drunk,  and  is 
unkind  to  them. 

"With  so  many  good  things 
around  us,  shall  we  not  try  to 
help  the  little  hungry  children 
who  have  an  unkind  father?" 

"0,  yes,  mamma!"  said  all 
the  children  at  once. 

"May  I  give  something  to 
Martha  Kelly,"  asked  Eebecca, 
"who  says  she  never  has  any 
presents?" 

"Poor  little  Martha  is  not 
much  older  than  you  are,  my 
daughter,"  said  Mrs.  Payson; 
"yet  she  is  obliged  to  work 


26        MAPLE  GROVE  STOEIES. 

quite  hard;  for  her  mother  is 
sick  and  her  father  is  poor. 
But  she  has  a  sweet;  smiling  face, 
and  she  lives  in  a  happier  home 
than  many  children  of  rich  par- 
ents." 

"  I  know,  mamma,"  said  Joshua, 
"Martha  always  looks  pleasant, 
even  in  a  shabby  dress." 

"Mr.  Kelly  is  a  very  kind 
and  good  man,"  said  Mrs.  Pay- 
son;  "and  I  hope,  before  another 
Christmas,  he  will  be  able  to  give 
his  family  a  better  home. 

"They  look  happy  because 
they  have  good  thoughts  and 
try  to  do  their  duty.  None  can 
be  happy,  even  in  beautiful 


HAPPY  HEARTS.  27 

homes,  unless  their  thoughts  are 
right. 

"I  hope  you  will  select  a 
pleasant  book  for  little  Martha, 
my  daughter,  and  I  will  send 
some  articles  to  her  mamma." 

"It  is  now  your  bedtime,  my 
darlings.  To-morrow  we  will 
begin  to  prepare  our  Christmas 
gifts  for  the  poor." 

The  children  kneeled  down 
and  thanked  God  for  being  so  good 
to  them,  and  asked  him  to  help 
them  to  be  kind  and  obedient, 
and  to  speak  the  truth. 

After  they  had  said  their 
prayers,  Newton  ran  to  his 
mamma  and  kneeled  down  again 


28       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

by  her  side,  and  said,  "Will  God 
please  to  help  the  hungry  little 
children  to  smile,  for  Christ's 
sake  ?" 


HAPPY    HEARTS. 


29 


CHAPTER  II. 

FRITZ    DEAD,    YET   LIVES. 


next  day, 
after  the  chil- 
dren had  fin- 
ished their 


tell  you  a 
little    sto- 
ry, showing  how 
a  child  can  do  much  good. 

"Many  years  ago,  I  knew  a 
little  boy  who  could  not  walk. 
His  nurse  let  him  fall,  when  he 


30       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

was  a  baby,  and  hurt  his  back, 
so  that  he  grew  out  of  shape, 
and  could  not  stand  on  his  feet. 

"The  little  boy's  name  was 
Fritz  Eitter.  His  parents  lived 
in  a  pleasant  home,  and  did  all 
they  could  to  make  their  darling 
lame  boy  happy. 

"  They  taught  him  to  read,  and 
write,  and  to  draw  pictures. 

"But  Fritz  said,  'That  is  not 
enough.  I  have  dear  friends, 
who  do  every  thing  for  me. 
Now,  I  must  do  something  too.' 

"His  father  kept  a  man  to 
draw  him  about  in  a  little  wagon; 
BO  Fritz  knery  all  the  streets  in 
town,  and  visited  the  machine- 


HAPPY    HEARTS.  31 

shops  and  mills  to  see  how  things 
are  made.  Almost  every  one 
looked  kindly  on  his  sweet,  pale 
face,  and  wherever  he  went  the 
people  would  talk  with  him  and 
show  him  what  he  wished  to  see. 

"As  he  rode  about  the  city  he 
saw  many  poor  houses,  and  hun- 
gry and  ragged  children. 

"One  night,  when  his  mamma 
laid  him  in  his  little  bed,  she 
saw  that  he  was  sad  and  quiet. 

" '  What  is  the  matter  with  my 
little  boy  to-night?'  she  asked. 

"'I  have  seen  so  many  poor 
little  children  on  Stone  Alley 
to-day,'  said  Fritz,  'who  were 
ragged  and  dirty,  I  wished  they 


32       MAPLE  GEOVE  STOEIES. 

had  good  homes  and  good  mam- 
mas.' 

" '  I  am  sorry  for  all  poor  little 
children  who  are  ragged  and 
hungry/  said  Mrs.  Bitter.  'But, 
as  we  can  not  give  them  pleasant 
homes  we  must  do  what  we  can 
for  them;  for  you  know  Christ 
says,  "The  poor  ye  have  always; 
and  whensoever  ye  will,  ye  may' 
do  them  good." ' 

"Fritz  turned  his  face  away 
and  shut  his  eyes  as  though 
he  was  tired.  But  he  was  not 
tired;  he  was  only  thinking. 

"He  had  stopped  many  times 
at  a  little  shop,  in  the  edge  of 
town,  where  baskets  were  made; 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  33 

a  man,  and  a  woman,  and  several 
children  worked  there,  and  they 
made  many  kinds  of  baskets; 
some  of  them  very  fine  and 
pretty. 

"  Fritz  had  sat  in  the  shop  a 
long  time  that  day,  and  he  asked 
the  man  if  he  might  come  every 
day,  and  learn  to  make  baskets. 

"Now,  in  his  little  bed,  with 
his  eyes  shut,  he  was  thinking 
how  he  would  make  them  and 
sell  them  for  money  to  help  poor 
children. 

"The  next  morning  Fritz  told 
his  mamma  what  he  had  been 
thinking  about. 

"She    was    pleased    with    his 

r 


34       MAPLE  GROVE   STORIES. 

plan;  for  she  thought  it  would 
amuse  her  darling  little  lame 
boy. 

"Fritz  went  to  the  basket- 
maker's  shop  all  Summer,  and  by 
the  time  cold  weather  came  he 
could  make  very  beautiful  bas- 
kets. Some  merchants  in  town 
sold  them  for  him,  and  by 
Christmas  time  he  had  laid  up 
several  dollars,  which  he  said  he 
should  give  to  poor  widow  "Wil- 
cox,  who  looked  sick  and  pale, 
and  had  two  children. 

"Mrs.  Hitter  gave  Fritz  a 
little  room  at  home  for  his  shop; 
and  his  papa  put  into  it  all  the 
materials  necessary  for  making 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  35 

baskets;  and  there  Fritz  spent 
several  hours  every  day  at  his 
work. 

"He  was  happy  and  said, 
'Now  I  am  of  some  use,  as  I 
can  help  to  make  others  good 
and  happy.' 

"Widow  Wilcox  and  her  chil- 
dren had  food,  and  a  fire,  and 
clothes  in  the  cold  Winter  weath- 
er; and  it  was  the  little  pale- 
faced  lame  boy  who  gave  them 
to  her. 

"Jim  and  Dora  Wilcox  learned 
their  books  because  Fritz  wished 
them  to  do  so.  They  would  not 
play  any  more  with  bad  children 
on  the  streets,  because  Fritz  told 


36       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

them  they  must  not.  And  when 
Jim  promised  that  he  would  try 
to  remember  and  not  use  any 
more  naughty  words,  Fritz  told 
him  he  would  give  him  all  the 
books  he  would  read  to  Dora  -and 
his  mother. 

"Finally,  Jim  went  every  day 
to  Fritz's  little  shop,  and  learned 
to  make  baskets.  He  was  so 
handy  that,  by  the  time  another 
Christmas  came,  he  was  able  to 
carry  to  his  mother  money  that 
he  had  himself  earned. 

"  Fritz  was  about  ten  years 
old  when  he  began  to  make  bas- 
kets. The  Lord  allowed  him  to 
live  only  two  years  longer;  but, 


HAPPY   HEAKTS.  37 

in  that  time,  many  poor  children 
loved  him,  and  thanked  him  for 
his  kindness.  When  he  died 
many  tears  were  shed  in  the 
alleys  and  back  streets,  where 
the  dear  pale-faced  boy  had 
tried  to  make  others  good  and 
happy. 

"Little  children  went  in  a 
great  company,  when  he  was 
buried,  and  threw  flowers  into 
his  grave. 

"We  believe  that  when  Fritz's 
gentle  spirit  left  his  poor,  crooked 
body,  it  went  to  the  happy 
land,  to  grow  in  beauty  forever. 
But  he  is  not  forgotten  on  earth; 
and  now,  many  years  after,  there 


38       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

are  those  who  bless  the  dear  lit- 
tle lame  boy." 

"Did  you  know  him,  mamma?" 
asked  Rebecca,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Payson.  "It 
was  when  I  was  a  young  girl 
that  I  attended  the  funeral  of 
little  Fritz. 

"Mr.  Wilcox,  who  keeps  the 
great  store  of  baskets  in  town, 
where  you  have  sometimes  stop- 
ped with  me  to  see  how  beautiful 
they  are,  is  the  little  Jim  whom 
Fritz  taught  to  be  good  and  use- 
ful. 

"He  has  always  taken  tender 
care  of  his  mother,  who  is  now 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  39 

so  old  she  remembers  but  little; 
but  if  you  ask  her  about  Fritz 
she  will  talk  a  long  time  about 
him,  whom  she  calls  'God's  dear 
child.' " 

"Your  true  story,  mamma,  is 
better  than  made-up  ones,"  said 
Joshua,  as  he  walked  away  to 
the  window. 

"When  I  look  at  my  little 
work-basket,  mamma,"  said  Ee- 
becca,  "that  you  bought  of  Mr. 
Wilcox,  I  shall  think  of  Fritz, 
and  the  basket  will  help  me  to 
be  good." 

"So  you  see,  my  darling," 
said  Mrs.  Pay  son,  "when  our 
bodies  are  turning  to  dust  in 


40       MAPLE  GROVE  STOEIES. 

the  ground,  the  deeds  which  we 
did  may  be  helping  others  to  be 
good  or  bad." 


HAPPY  HEAETS. 


41  - 


CHAPTEE  III. 

HOW?   ANSWEEED. 

the  family 
were  gath- 
i  ered  in  the 
parlor,  after 
dinner;Mrs. 
:  Payson  said, 
"We  will 
now  see  how 
we  can  help 
poor  Mrs.  Fisher; 
'  for  there  are  none 
who  more  need  kind  words  and 
deeds  than  helpless  ones  whom 
a  bad  husband  and  father  leaves 

9 


42       MAPLE  GEOVE  STORIES. 

to  suffer,  and  sometimes  to  per- 
ish, with  hunger  and  cold." 

"But  how  can  we  give  Mrs. 
Fisher  any  thing,  if  her  husband 
sells  it?"  asked  Joshua. 

"There  is  an  honest  woman 
living  next  to  Mrs.  Fisher's,"  said 
Mrs.  Payson,  "who  has  washed 
for  me  sometimes.  I  will  hire  a 
place  in  her  little  yard  for  coal, 
and  send  some  there.  I  will  give 
Mrs.  Fisher  tickets  for  getting  a 
half  bushel  at  a  time,  when  she 
needs  it,  so  she  can  have  a  fire." 

"And  I  will  give  her  tickets 
for  getting  bread  at  the  bakery, 
and  meat  and  potatoes  in  mar- 
ket," said  Mr.  Payson.  "She 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  43 

must  get  a  little  at  a  time,  and 
not  keep  any  in  the  house  for 
her  husband  to  carry  off." 

"That  will  be  good/'  said 
Eebecca;  "the  little  hungry 
children  will  smile." 

"I  will  give  half  of  my  mon- 
ey to  buy  some  shoes  for  Dick 
Fisher,"  said  Joshua. 

"And  I  will  give  half  of  mine 
to  buy  a  flannel  petticoat  for 
Mrs.  Fisher,"  said  Eebecca. 

"Here  is  my  money,  mamma," 
said  Newton,  who  had  run  to 
bring  his  little  box. 

"May  we  send  the  children 
some  of  our  toys?"  asked  Eebecca. 

"You    may    send    what    you 

9       ^ 


44       MAPLE  GROVE  STORIES. 

please,"  said  Mrs.  Payson.  "We 
will  put  them  in  a  basket  with 
enough  food  for  a  good  dinner, 
and  you  may  carry  all  to  her, 
Christmas  morning,  with  the 
tickets." 

"0,  mamma,"  said  Joshua, 
"it  will  be  pleasant  to  see  how 
surprised  and  happy  they  will 
look." 

"Now,  what  shall  we  do  for 
Mrs.  Grant?"  asked  Mrs.  Pay- 
son. 

"Several  neighbors  have  prom- 
ised to  join  me  in  giving '  her 
coal,  flour,  and  meat,  as  long  as 
she  needs  such  help,"  said  Mr. 
Payson. 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  45 

"I  will  prepare  some  clothes 
for  herself  and  her  children," 
said  Mrs.  Pay  son. 

"And  we  will  give  them  some 
toys  and  books/'  said  Joshua. 

"Will  you  please,  papa/'  said 
Newton,  "send  word  to  Santa 
Glaus  to  carry  his  pack  to  the 
top  of  Mrs.  Grant's  chimney? 
And  I  will  tell  little  lame  Harry 
to  hang  up  his  stocking." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Payson  smil- 
ing, "I  will  send  word  to  Santa 
Glaus  to  have  his  eight  tiny 
reindeer  jingle  their  bells  right 
merrily  over  Mrs.  Grant's  chim- 
ney." 

That  night  Mr.  Payson's  three 


46       MAPLE  GEOVE  STOEIES. 

children  went  to  bed  feeling 
very  happy;  for  they  were  try- 
ing to  do  something  to  make 
others  good  and  happy. 


HAPPY  HEARTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

WHAT   THE    STARS   SAW. 


stars  were 


^  T         ^ 

~^L     £      yet     winking 
f  through     the 
pine  trees  on 


Christmas 


morning, 
' when  the 

BB^,-    _^_Pf        Httle     Pay" 

**$n/ji&  •  sons   went 

''^^li/ shouting  their 
"merry  Christmas"  through  the 
house. 

Santa   Glaus    had   filled    their 
stockings    with   just    what    they 


48       MAPLE  G-ROVE  STORIES. 

most  wanted.  Strange  that  he 
should  know  so  well ! 

There  could  be  no  more  morn- 
ing naps  now,  and  while  the 
stars  were  shutting  their  eyes 
Bridget  prepared  -the  early  break- 
fast, so  the  children  might  go 
with  their  happy  hearts  and 
their  gifts  to  gladden  those  who 
needed  kind  words  and  good 
deeds. 

After  the  family  had  joined  in 
their  morning  worship,  Mr.  Pay- 
son  said,  "JSTow,  my  children, 
we  will  go  and  see  some  sad 
faces  .smile,  while  mamma  pre- 
pares the  Christmas-tree;  for  she 
says  we  must  not  have  a  peep 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  49 

at  it  till  our  friends  come  this 
evening." 

By  the  time  the  sun  was 
looking  over  the  tree  tops, 
Mr.  Payson  and  the  children 
were  riding  toward  Mrs. 
Grant's  with  a  basket  of  good 
things  and  a  great  many  kind 
words. 

They  found  the  little  Grants 
in  quite  an  uproar.  They  had 
hung  up  their  stockings  for  the 
first  time  in  their  lives,  and  now 
they  were  spreading  out  Santa 
Claus's  wonderful  gifts  with  great 
glee. 

The    basket    was    carried    in, 

and  Mr.  Payson  told  Mrs.  Grant 
4  9 


50       MAPLE  GEOVE  STORIES. 

what  more  would  be  done  for 
her  every-day  comfort. 

Tears  came  in  her  eyes  when 
she  thanked  him  and  the  chil- 
dren. 

"It  almost  made  me  feel  like 
crying,"  said  Kebecca,  when  they 
had  left  the  house,  "to  see  poor 
lame  Harry's  face  look  so  happy." 

At  Mrs.  Fisher's  they  found  a 
gloomy  and  unhappy  scene. 

Mr.  Fisher  sat  with  his  hair 
falling  over  his  half-shut  eyes, 
while  the  hungry  and  cold  chil- 
dren were  huddled  around  the 
half-warmed  stove  on  which  their 
mother  was  trying  to  cook  some- 
thing for  breakfast. 


HAPPY  HEARTS.  51 

"My  children  have  come  to 
bring  some  smiles  to  yourself 
and  your  little  ones  this  Christ- 
mas morning,"  said  Mr.  Payson 
to  Mrs.  Fisher,  as  they  stepped 
into  the  miserable  home. 

"  Mamma  says,  will  you  please 
have  a  good  dinner?"  said  Re- 
becca, as  she  and  Joshua  carried 
the  basket  to  Mrs.  Fisher,  whose 
eyes  filled  with  tears  at  this  un- 
expected kindness. 

Mr.  Payson  gave  her  the  tick- 
ets for  coal  and  food,  and  told 
her  that  his  wife  would  call 
sometimes  and  see  how  she  en- 
joyed them. 

Mr.   Fisher  hung  his  head  in 


52       MAPLE   GEOVE  STORIES. 

shame  as  the  bright  faces  of  the 
little  Pay  sons  left.  But  a  ray 
of  light  had  shone  into  that 
gloomy  home,  and  Mrs.  Fisher's 
sad  face  smiled  when  she  saw 
her  children  spreading  out  their 
Christmas  gifts.  Each  one  had 
been  kindly  remembered  and  was 
bright  with  happiness. 

Joshua,  and  Eebecca,  and  New- 
ton rode  toward  home,  carrying 
hearts  filled  anew  with  love,  and 
gentleness,  and  kindness. 

Mr.  Payson  next  knocked  at 
Mr.  Kelly's  door.  Mrs.  Kelly 
was  sitting,  wrapped  up,  in  a 
rocking  chair,  sick,  but  having 
a  pleasant  smile.  Little  Martha 


HAPPY   HEARTS.  53 

was  doing  the  morning  work, 
and  looked  with  surprise  at  the 
early  visitors  and  their  good 
gifts. 

The  children  soon  had  the 
food  spread  out  for  Mrs.  Kelly 
to  see  what  a  nice  dinner  she 
would  have;  and  Martha  fairly 
danced  around  the  room;  hold- 
ing up  a  good  Sunday  frock 
for  herself  and  a  pretty  story 
book. 

"This  is  a  happy  Christmas," 
said  Eebecca  as  they  rode  home. 

"We  learn,  my  children/7  said 
Mr.  Pay  son,  "that  those  who 
try  to  do  their  duty  may  be  rich 
in  happy  hearts  and  smiling 


54       MAPLE  GROVE  STOEIES. 

homes  though  they  are  very 
poor. 

"But  bad  hearts  and  bad 
ways  make  the  sunshine  seem 
gloomy  in  the  finest  parlors." 

"When  the  sun  went  down  that 
night,  friends,  both  old  and 
young,  gathered  in  Mr.  Payson's 
parlors,  to  pluck  gifts  from  the 
well-loaded  Christmas-tree. 

Fruits  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  were  hanging  in  its 
branches,  and  toys  and  books 
peeped  out  from  the  green 
leaves. 

When  little  eyelids  were 
closed  in  sleep  that  night,  the 
stars  winked  and  smiled  over 


HAPPY  HEARTS. 


55 


little  hearts  that  were  brimful 
of  love ;  because,  by  giving,  they 
had  grown  rich. 


